When the World Stops Turning
by DM666-san
Summary: ONESHOT. Ray's a depressed kid who's dad died on 911. Mariah's a cancer patient who's mom was on the plane that hit the tower.


Konnichawa! This story is a little off topic and was started by a school English assignment. This story focuses on the September 11 of 2001, when the Twin Towers and the Pentagon were targets of terrorist strikes. Four planes were highjacked, two ran into the Towers and one into the Pentagon, and on the last one passengers rebelled against the terrorists and crashed the plane into a field in Pennsylvania.

The only amusing part of this (hopefully) sad story was the choosing of characters for the role of heroine. I had plenty of choices, Tala, Oliver, Hilary, and Mariah. I knew Tala fans would hate me forever if I did this and Oliver and Hilary don't seem to fit the part. So naturally I made Mariah the heroine and Ray the hero.

One shot; no updates.

Chapter one of one: When the World Stops Turning.

_**Weeeoooh, Weeeoooh, Weeeoooh!**_

The siren of the ambulance cut through the murky dawn of Woodstown, Pennsylvania. Inside the ambulance one of the drivers was kneeling over the still form of a teenager, her gaze darting from the boy to the pulse readings on a screen on the wall.

"Don't die, please don't die," she whispered, tears in her eyes.

She glanced down at the arms and quickly averted her gaze, going back to the charts. The boy's arms were covered in blood soaked bandages and gauze.

"You all right, Hilary?" yelled the driver in the front seat.

She took a deep breath before answering.

"I'm fine, Tyson. You know how I am about the kids."

Tyson nodded. He knew. No one liked to lose a child on the way to the hospital, but for Hilary it was as heartbreaking as if she was the mother.

"Is it…is it true this was an attempted suicide?" she called out.

Tyson was silent for a moment before answering.

"Here's the hospital honey. Get ready to take him in, he didn't lose too much blood before we got to him."

Hilary just nodded and looked down at the boy. He didn't even look like he was in pain. He looked…happy.

…

The throbbing pain in his arms was what woke him. That was the first thing he thought about…and the last thing he'd noticed before passing out. Pain had always been a relief for him. It was so easy to get lost in it and forget about the rest of your worries.

But right now the pain wasn't a relief. It was a reminder of what hadn't happened.

_Why didn't I die?_

He'd timed it perfectly. He'd gone at just the right time, so that by the time anyone had found him it would have been to late. But someone had found him and now people would be prepared for another attempt…

_Sorry dad,_ _guess I won't be joining you for a while yet._

He opened his eyes and looked around.

_Yep, unless heaven looks like a hospital, I'm still alive._

"Are you awake now?" asked a voice coming from the right.

Ray sat up and looked towards where the voice had come from.

There, on a bed by the window, was a bald girl with big eyes who stared at him.

Must be about my age… 

"So you are awake. My name is Mariah, what's yours?"

"I'm Ray," was all he said back.

"You must be pretty popular, Ray. There were five people in here for you earlier."

"Really, who?"

He knew his mom and the camp councilor would come but who else…unless it was the people who'd found him.

"They said to tell you your mother, Mr. Dickonson, Max, Tyson, and Hilary stopped in. Tyson and Hilary were the people who drove you here. They're nice ambulance drivers. I've had them before. Is it true you attempted suicide?"

Of course, Max! That stupid, cheerful blond had been trying to get Ray to open up ever since camp started…

"Hello? I asked you a question."

"What?" asked Ray, annoyed to be brought back to the present.

"Did you really attempt suicide?"

"Yes."

"Really? How? Pills, poison, drugs?"

"Don't you think it rude to be so…enthusiastic and carefree when discussing suicide?"

Really, Ray was more scared of this girl than he had been of someone in a long time.

"No, you don't care about your life that much and you didn't die so I want to know every detail."

Ray sighed and stared at the I.V.

"I cut myself."

The girl was actually surprised.

"Really? I always thought that was the most self-destructive, messy, and goriest way to go out. Isn't that for depressed people? Are you depressed?"

This enthusiasm was really getting annoying…

"Good morning!"

Luckily the nurse burst in before Ray had a chance to answer.

"I'm Oliver and I'll be your nurse! I know you'll enjoy your stay here at our beautiful hospital. I would have given you the window because it has such a beautiful view but since Mariah is a permanent resident I decided to let her keep it." Now Mariah," the nurse said, turning towards her, "you are not to give this boy any sharp objects. He is a danger to himself and to others and we can't have him killing himself in the hospital."

It was easy to see where Mariah got her boundless enthusiasim…

"And let's have a little TV to brighten this up, shall we?"

The nurse reached up and turned on a television on the wall across from Ray.

"…_And today we remember all those who lost their lives in the horrible event five years ago…"_

Ray's breath caught in his throat.

"Turn it off!" he said.

"But I just--"

"Turn it off God dammit!"

The nurse looked shocked.

"Okay, okay," she said reaching up and pushing the power button.

She then walked out of the room with a glance back at Ray as she crossed the threshold.

Ray stared down at the sheets.

"Did someone you know die in the attack?" asked Mariah, her voice quiet and subdued.

"None of your business," muttered Ray.

If only Max hadn't found him…

"I have cancer," said Mariah. "My dad died when I was little and my mom was the only one who ever visited or anything. I was at a big hospital in New York when it happened. My mom was flying in to visit only…her plane was one of the ones that hit the Towers."

She remembered it all so clearly. Sitting in her bed just like this one…

She was reading then, when the call came. It was called "Shattered Mirror" but she could never remember the author. Then one of the nurses came in.

"_**You have an urgent call at the front desk, miss. Please pick up your phone."**_

_**Mariah had picked it up, wondering who on earth would call her this early.**_

"_**Hello?"**_

"_**Mariah, sweety."**_

"_**Mom! Are you coming today? When does your fligh--"**_

"_**I can't talk now Mariah. I just called to let you know I love you, and…I'll always be there for you."**_

"_**Mom?"**_

_**Then there was a big boom at the other end of the line. She couldn't hear her mom, but she could hear screams and something crashing down, and then the line went dead.**_

"_**MOM? MOOOOM?"**_

_**The nurse came running in the room, but Mariah couldn't see through the tears…**_

It had been hard then. She'd been visited by her aunt and uncle once, but that was to say she was being moved to a smaller hospital. She doubted they even remembered she existed.

"My…my dad was in the Tower. The first one to go down," Ray was talking in a shaky voice and still looking at the sheets. "I never said good bye. I was asleep when he left and then when I got home and heard the news…"

He was crying now.

"Is that when you started cutting yourself?"

He nodded.

"It helped a little. But I just want it to end."

If only it could end…

"That's not fair. Think of all the people who'd miss you. Your family, friends, and then if you'd succeeded yesterday, the camp director and the staff. I know Hilary would have been devastated."

"Not fair. It wasn't fair for me. It wasn't fair my dad died!"

"No it wasn't. It wasn't fair that my dad and mom died either. But you know, if life was fair, we wouldn't have a word for things like murder, genocide, suicide, poverty. We wouldn't have words for heaven or hope either. We wouldn't need them."

She paused for a moment.

"You have to take the good with the bad. You can't take the light and not take the darkness. Living is joy enough. Don't end your life because eof one sad event. For everyone, the world stopped five years ago. There was a song about it 'Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning'. For everyone else, the world started again shortly after that. For you, it's still stopped. You haven't been able to move on. That's no way to live."

She was going to say more, but the worlds never got out. She strated to make weird sounds and machine by her started beeping. Her pulse line was flat.

Ray started screaming "Nurse!"

Three nurses and a doctor ran in with some equipment and Ray was taken out by another nurse.

… 12 hours later…

Ray stood in the room with Mariah. She was hooked up to a lot of equipment and was breathing shallowly. The doctor had covered the seriousness of the situation earlier. Her heart cancer had taken a turn for the worse, and she wasn't expected to live through the night. Her aunt and uncle were notified, but they probably wouldn't make it.

Ray was her only visitor.

"Ray…"

he barely heard her.

"Ray… remember your father. But… don't dwell… on the death. Move… on with your life."

A hand clamped onto Ray's shoulder. He turned to see Oliver standing behind him.

"Leave her for now," the nurse said.

Ray was pushed out of the room, and caught one last glimpse of Mariah as he walked out.

Maybe she's right… 

**On September 11, 2006 Mariah Died of heart cancer.**

The End 

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